Commonwealth group suggests voters’ education

New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) The Commonwealth Network of National Election Management Bodies (CNNEMB) Saturday urged the Commonwealth countries to bring voters’ education at the centre of election management.

In its first ever meeting, the working group of the CNNEMB said that voters’ education was a major function and legal obligation of national election agencies.

The two-day meeting of the group concluded here. It was attended by delegates from South Africa, Kenya and the Commonwealth Secretariat. The meet was presided over by the Election Commission of India.

The working group deliberated on subjects of voter education and electoral participation. India is in the 11-member steering committee of the CNNEMB.

The working group recommended earmarking separate and adequate allocation for voters’ education.

The national election bodies (NEBs) should involve the civil society, NGOs and other public interest groups in voters’ education, it recommended.

It said NEBs should adopt scientific surveys and sound marketing methods for making suitable communication and educational interventions to reach a larger number of voters.

The working group also recommended that the voters education required creative, trained, qualified and technical manpower, both at the highest policy making level and at the ground level.

In his concluding address at the Working Group meeting, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) S.Y. Quraishi underlined the significant results recently obtained in India through voter education.

The delegates from South Africa evinced keen interest in the electronic voting machines (EVMs) and were given details of the working of Indian EVMs.